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Revenge is the theme

The Brewers are on a five-game winning streak and look to close out the series against Washington tomorrow with a sixth. And the name of the game in this series is revenge.

Three straight devastating losses to the sub par (21-27) Washington team set the Brewers back in April, dropping them below .500 again after they regained their footing following four straight losses to open the season.

In an interview with 1250 WSSP, Jonathan Lucroy didn’t mince words when asked whether the team was playing with a chip on its shoulder. “Absolutely. We’re still pretty bitter about that. We don’t like getting beat like we did when we went there … I want to give them a taste of their medicine.”

The Brewers are well on their way. Cory Hart absolutely hammered Washington starter Tom Gorzelanny and reliever Doug Slaten yesterday, racking up 3 HR and 7 RBI en route to an 11-3 Brewers victory. Ironically, Hart, the victim of an early season DL stint, wasn’t even around during the sweep in Washington. But Lucroy played in two out of the three games, and chimed in with two hits and an RBI.

Tonight, the Brewers clawed and scraped to beat the Nationals, 7-6, in a much closer contest. Starter Chris Narveson pitched himself into a big hole early in the game, giving up six runs between the second and fourth innings. But timely hitting from the series’ usual suspects – Hart (2-4, HR, 2 RBI) and Lucroy (2-4, HR, 3 RBI) – helped put the Brewers on the board, and Weeks tacked on a 2-run shot in the 7th to cut the Nats lead to one.

That set up an epic play at the plate in the eighth to give the Brewers the lead. With two outs, Brandon Boggs walked and Casey McGehee, who had reached on a single, moved over to second. Lucroy again proved to be the hero, singling to right field. And as Boggs challenged the throw, Nationals’ catcher Wilson Ramos missed the ball, allowing the go-ahead run to score. Axford closed the door in the ninth.

Tomorrow, Zack Greinke gets the nod, and the opportunity to bring this cycle of vengeance full circle.

I was at the game and was working off memory. Just checked the play-by-play and Storen pitched the 8th before Slaten came in to face Hart. I can think of nicer ways to point out the error, and you could have at least spelled the guy’s name correctly if you’re going to jump all over me.